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Course Overload (Academic Load) Policy

The Course Overload (Academic Load) policy of the Department of Elementary & Early Childhood is aligned with the College-wide policy found in the undergraduate bulletin with departmental exceptions*.

From the undergraduate bulletin:

Academic Load
Students taking a minimum of three full course units per semester are considered to be full-time students for financial aid and billing purposes. This definition of full-time study applies to the fall and spring semesters and to the regular summer sessions. The standard academic load is four course units per semester; however, programmatic exceptions do exist and students should check with their major department. A student in a degree program with a standard academic load who wishes to take more than 4.5 course units must receive permission from the dean’s office to do so. This includes additional credits taken simultaneously at another institution. In order to be eligible to request permission to take more than 4.5 course units, a student must have completed 8 course units at TCNJ (4 course units for transfer students) and have at least a 3.3 GPA. Some of the criteria that may be considered when making decisions to grant permission for more than 4.5 course units are: 1) evidence of the student’s ability to continue to maintain at least a 3.3 GPA; 2) whether the additional course or credit is a prerequisite for a subsequent required course; 3) whether there are extenuating curricular circumstances, such as completing a double major.

Students may take a maximum of four course units during the regular summer session, with no more than two units in a single session. Additional credit may be earned for work taken during the pre-session, provided that this does not overlap with the regular
summer session.

College Policy on Academic Load

* Students will not be permitted to apply for course overload during the Clinical Practice I and II semesters without a compelling reason which constitutes extenuating circumstances as decided by the EECE department chair in consultation with the academic advisor. Students who have a compelling reason which constitutes extenuating circumstances are still discouraged from doing so, but should see their advisor to discuss this possibility.

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